Scoping opinions are a sort of data synthesis, which comply with a scientific strategy to map proof on a subject and establish predominant ideas, theories, sources, and data gaps. The Canadian Institutes of Well being Analysis (CIHR) defines a scoping evaluate as:
‘exploratory initiatives that systematically map the literature out there on a subject, figuring out key ideas, theories, sources of proof and gaps within the analysis’ and notes ‘They’re usually preliminary to full syntheses, undertaken when feasibility is a priority – both as a result of the doubtless related literature is regarded as particularly huge and various (various by technique, theoretical orientation or self-discipline) or there’s a suspicion that not sufficient literature exists.’
Why would somebody need to do a scoping evaluate in comparison with a scientific evaluate?
Systematic opinions are helpful for answering clearly outlined questions (for instance, “Does this intervention enhance specified outcomes in comparison with a given comparator on this inhabitants?”), whereas scoping opinions are helpful for answering a lot broader questions (akin to “What’s the nature of the proof for this intervention?” or “What is understood about this idea?”).
https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M18-0850
Nonetheless, not sufficient researchers know learn how to conduct a rigorous scoping evaluate.
One well-known strategy for reporting the methodology utilized in a scoping evaluate is the PRISMA-ScR (Most well-liked Reporting Objects for Systematic opinions and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Critiques) methodology. This PRISMA-ScR (Tricco et al. 2018) has a reporting guidelines proven beneath.
PRISMA-ScR is concentrated largely on reporting the methodology and outcomes of a scoping evaluate. To really discover ways to do a scoping evaluate, I’d level you to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The JBI web site has quite a lot of finest apply paperwork regarding scoping opinions. There’s a complete JBI Handbook for Proof Synthesis that was most just lately up to date in March 2024. Different useful paperwork embrace:
Cochrane Coaching has a useful video describing what scoping evaluate is and gives some examples.
